Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Independent Industrial Strategy Council

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom the Industrial Strategy Council will be answerable.

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often the Industrial Strategy Council will report on the progress of the Industrial Strategy.

lord henley: The Industrial Strategy Council will be tasked with developing measures of success and putting the right evaluation structures in place to assess our progress. They will engage with government on its work programme but as a non-statutory independent group of external experts they will have their own views about the frequency of their updates including a regular published report.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what process will be in place forHer Majesty'sGovernment to decide the next areas to benefit from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

lord henley: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched an open call for Expressions of Interest to identify challenges to be supported within wave 3 of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) on 28 February 2018. Funding for wave 3 challenges will start in financial year 2019/20. The EOI process will enable industry to fully engage with the ISCF, including those businesses or sectors that do not traditionally make use of innovation funding. Expressions of interest for challenges for wave 3 of the ISCF programme must be industry-led and demonstrate clear alignment with at least one of the Grand Challenges of the Industrial Strategy White Paper: Clean Growth; Ageing Society; Future of Mobility; and Artificial Intelligence and Data Economy. Challenges for wave 3 will be evaluated by UKRI based on the following criteria. Challenges must:be compelling, focused, understandable and have a real benefit if solvedbe industry-led and in an area of existing strengthtake advantage of the depth and expertise of UK researchoffer a clear opportunity for sustainable growth, including global marketsevidence that government support is necessary and of strategic importanceincrease productivityAs with previous challenges, expert input will be sought in choosing which challenges will be funded through the ISCF. This includes the UKRI Board, Innovate UK and Research Councils, and a series of deep dive sessions with industry and academia across the UK.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their process for selecting the next areas to benefit from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

lord henley: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched an open call for Expressions of Interest to identify challenges to be supported within wave 3 of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) on 28 February 2018. The Expression of Interest process is being managed by UKRI using Innovate UK’s Innovation Funding Service (https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/126/overview). This webpage clearly outlines the assessment criteria for the challenges. Details of the wave 3 process will also be made available at the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund website https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund-joint-research-and-innovation.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund projects will be permitted to fail.

lord henley: Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) projects will bring together world-class UK research with business investment to develop the technologies and industries of the future and ensure we capture the value of these innovations to our economy. Delivered by UKRI, it takes a strategic approach to delivering the challenges across the UK’s science and business base. Pivotal to the ISCF is an appetite to take risk and pursue high return opportunities, as has been successfully adopted in other schemes, such as America’s DARPA challenges. This means not all ISCF projects may succeed because of technological and market uncertainties. It will be important that there is a broad risk appetite to explore promising ideas across the portfolio of challenges as well as within elements of each specific challenge. The ISCF will place the responsibility for delivering a challenge in the hands of a ‘Challenge Director’, who will be leading a expert in the area. Challenge Directors will assemble a portfolio of projects that span the risk spectrum. Rigorous assessment, encompassing investment appraisal, on-going monitoring and ex-post evaluation will inform investment decisions. Through governance and monitoring arrangements, we will ensure that failures are detected early, review progress and maximise value for money.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund money can be spent on basic research.

lord henley: The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) funds innovative science and research that will increase productivity, tackle long-term challenges and drive growth across the country in areas where the UK is most competitive or has the most potential to be competitive. It identifies challenges that if solved would turn the UK’s scientific and business expertise into leadership in international markets. Each of these challenges will bring together Innovate UK and Research Councils to support collaborations of business with research, and so funding will benefit both. The exact balance will require tailored financial arrangement suited to the nature of the challenges.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further assessment, if any, they have made following the report by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyThe Impact of Brexit on the Automotive Sector.

lord henley: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations.We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, and all regions and nations of the UK, in order to inform our negotiations.However, it is not standard practice to provide a running commentary on ongoing analysis. In addition, ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position.

Iron and Steel: USA

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatis theirestimate of the number ofjob losses in the UK thatmight result if the US were to impose the proposed 25 per cent tariff on steel imports.

lord henley: Total US imports of steel from the UK in 2017 were 351 thousand tonnes with a value of £360m. This represents 5% of UK steel production in 2017, in tonnage. We are working closely with the steel and aluminium industries to assess the potential impact of these measures.

Iron and Steel: USA

lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact on the steel industry in the UK if the US were to impose the proposed 25 per cent tariff on steel imports.

lord henley: Total US imports of steel from the UK in 2017 were 351 thousand tonnes with a value of £360m. This represents 5% of UK steel production in 2017, in tonnage. We are working closely with the steel and aluminium industries to assess the potential impact of these measures.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Duaa Alwadaei

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, furtherto the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 February (HL5316), what steps they are taking to seek clarification from the government of Bahrain regarding the charges brought against Duaa Alwadaei.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised the case of Duaa Alwadaei with the Government of Bahrain and will continue to monitor proceedings.

Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain regarding (1) the alleged torture of Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab at the Criminal Investigation Directorate and the Dry Dock prison; and (2) the sentencing to death of Mr al-Arab on 31 January.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been monitoring the case of Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab and will continue to do so. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body and we encourage the oversight body to conduct swift and thorough investigations.The United Kingdom is firmly opposed to the use of the death penalty. It is the Government's longstanding position to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances and countries. We continue to make this clear to the Government of Bahrain.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the increased restrictions on travel to and from Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly raise the importance of improving the number of exit permits approved by the Israeli authorities for Gazans to travel. We encourage the Governments of Israel and Egypt to show maximum flexibility in opening the crossings into Gaza. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem also regularly discuss border crossings with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the context of PA empowerment in Gaza.

Israel: Taxation

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations,if any,they have made to the government of Israel regarding the fines issued by Jerusalem municipality to properties owned by the United Nations and by churches on the grounds that they are not entitled to exemptions from property tax.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Consulate General in Jerusalem and our Embassy in Tel Aviv are closely following developments on this issue, and have sought clarifications from the relevant Israeli authorities. We understand that the Jerusalem municipality has now announced that it is suspending its tax collection actions.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding that government's reported practice of charging Palestinians for the costs incurred in the demolition ofPalestinian homes, whilst denying those Palestinians any compensation.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not discussed this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. We do however continue to make clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns over the demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes. The UK’s position is clear. Demolitions and evictions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.

Gaza: Travel Restrictions

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the decline in the approval rate of applicationsfor travel to and from Gaza for medical purposes.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue of medical permits for Gazans with the Israeli authorities on 21 February. As the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa informed the House of Commons on 20 February, we have previously raised concerns about ambulance and permit delays with the Israeli authorities, and we will continue to do so. We have also urged the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Department of Health and Social Care

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all patients with type 1 diabetes in England have access to flash glucose monitors.

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all Clinical Commissioning Groups are adequately funded to supply flash glucose monitors to all patients with type 1 diabetes.

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of why flash glucose monitors are available to patients in some parts of England and not in others.

lord o'shaughnessy: Freestyle Libre, the flash glucose monitoring system was included in Part IX of the England and Wales Drug Tariff from November 2017. People with diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus (except where treatment is by diet alone) - which includes type 1 and type 2 diabetes - are eligible for free National Health Service prescriptions if they hold a valid medical exemption certificate. However, patients will need to discuss the ongoing management of their condition with their healthcare professional and consider what is most suitable for them.Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.Reducing variation in the management and care of people with diabetes by 2020 is an objective included in the NHS England mandate. The NHS RightCare diabetes pathway shows the core components of an optimal diabetes service, as well as evidence of the opportunity to reduce variation. People with diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus (except where treatment is by diet alone) - which includes type 1 and type 2 diabetes - are eligible for free NHS prescriptions if they hold a valid medical exemption certificate.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each year between 2007 and 2017, (1) how manypatients were treated by the NHS who were not ordinarily resident in the UK, (2)what was the gross cost to the NHS of treating such patients, and (3) how muchmoney was recovered from such patients.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department does not collect data from National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts on patients who are treated by the NHS who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.However, between 2012/13 and 2016/17, NHS cost recovery income identified for chargeable overseas visitors and migrants has more than quadrupled from £89 million to £352 million. All income recovered is directed straight back to the NHS frontline.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the process to recover money owed to theNHS from those patients who are treated by the NHS but who are not ordinarily resident in the UK and do not qualify for free healthcare at the point of use.

lord o'shaughnessy: Under the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended, providers of NHS funded secondary care are required to make and recover charges from patients who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom where no category of exemption applies within these Regulations. Since October 2017 providers are required to recover this charge in advance of providing non-urgent treatment.The Department has issued guidance to providers of NHS funded secondary care called Guidance on implementing the overseas visitors charging regulations which sets out the rules and best practice processes to follow to recover money owed by overseas visitors. This includes considering the use of debt collection methods and forwarding on to the Home Office, following strict data protection protocols, the non-medical details of those with outstanding debts who are subject to immigration control, so that the Home Office can consider refusing a new visa or extension to stay in the UK whilst the debt remains unpaid. A copy of the guidance is attached. 



Guidance on implementing overseas visitors regs
(PDF Document, 1.14 MB)

Hospital Beds

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many beds were available in NHS hospitals in each year from 2007to 2017; andwhat was the total number of instances where a delayed transfer of care occurred in an NHS hospital in each year from 2007 to 2017.

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances there were of a delayed transfer of care occurring where the patientsubject tothe delayed transfer of care was homeless in each year from 2007 to 2017.

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances there were of a delayed transfer of care occurring where the patientsubject tothe delayed transfer of care was waiting for longer than one day for a family member or friend to collect them in each year from 2007 to 2017.

lord o'shaughnessy: The average number of available beds and the average number of delayed transfer of care (DTOC) beds in each financial year from 2010-11 is shown in the following table. Data prior to 2010 is not held centrally.Financial YearAverage number of available bedsAverage number of DTOC beds12010-11142,4463,783 (Partial year)2011-12138,5723,7532012-13136,7583,7832013-14135,9433,8742014-15135,4984,4532015-16131,0694,9462016-17130,4526,1812017-18 (year to date)129,0295,579Note:1The number of DTOC beds is an estimate and is calculated by dividing the number of delayed days during the month by the number of calendar days in the month.NHS England publishes DTOC data showing the number of delayed days by the following reasons: awaiting completion of assessment; awaiting public funding; awaiting further non-acute NHS care; awaiting residential home placement or availability; awaiting nursing home placement or availability; awaiting care package in own home; awaiting community equipment and adaptations; patient or family choice; disputes; housing – patients not covered by NHS or Community Care Act; or other.Data on whether patients with delayed transfers of care are either homeless or waited in excess of a day for collection from hospital by a family member or friend is not held centrally.

Accident and Emergency Departments

lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients treated by NHS Accident and Emergency departments were under the influence of drugs or alcohol in each year from 2007 to 2017;and what is their estimate of the gross cost ofsuch treatments in each of those years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The data requested is not held centrally.

Rare Diseases: Out of Area Treatment

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of access to specialist cross-border healthcare for sufferers of rare diseases following Brexit; and how they plan to ensure that those patients continue to benefit from specialist medical expertise across EU member states following Brexit.

lord o'shaughnessy: The United Kingdom Government has made clear that it wishes to see the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the European Union continued after the UK leaves the EU. All UK-insured residents, including sufferers of rare diseases, benefit from the reciprocal healthcare arrangements currently in place and the Government is working to ensure this access to healthcare in EU member states continues on the same terms as they do now after the UK leaves the European Union.During negotiations with the EU on the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK has therefore been seeking to protect the healthcare arrangements currently set out in EU Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009. In the meantime, while the UK remains a member of the EU, it will continue to respect the rights and honour the obligations of EU membership and so the current arrangements remain in place.The UK is recognised internationally for its expertise and excellence in the field of rare diseases. In this regard, the UK Government has three key principles in its approach to the development of a post-Exit relationship with the EU:- That no patient should be disadvantaged;- That the UK should continue to play a leading role promoting and ensuring public health, both in Europe and around the world; and- Industry must be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible, with the UK and Europe at the forefront of medical innovation.

Midwives

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been an increase in the number of midwives (1) registered to practise in the UK, and (2) practising in the NHS, over the pastfive years.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many midwives there were on (1) the Nursing and Midwifery register, and (2) practising in the NHS,in each of the past five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested about the number of midwives registered to practise in the United Kingdom is not collected by the Department.The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom and is responsible for nurse and midwifery registration. Information provided by the NMC on the number of midwives registered to practise in each of the past five years is provided in the following table. According to the NMC’s figures the number of midwives registered to practise in the UK increased by 2,445, between the end of September 2013 and the end of September 2017.YearNumber of midwives registered to practiseEnd September 201341,050End September 201441,639End September 201542,232End September 201642,799End September 201743,495Source: Nursing and Midwifery CouncilNHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) midwives in each of the past five years in England.National Health Service HCHS: Practising Midwives, as at 31 October each specified year (FTE), 2013-17YearTotal Midwives (FTE)October 201320,914October 201421,268October 201521,450October 201621,621October 201721,890Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statisticsThe total number of midwives employed in the NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England increased by 976, from 20,914 in October 2013, to 21,890 in October 2017.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Sanitary Protection

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey support any activities that keep girls and young women at school during their periods in developing countries.

lord bates: The UK is committed to ensuring another generation of girls do not miss out on education. In our 2018 Education Policy we shone a spotlight on supporting the hardest to reach girls to achieve 12 years of quality education and learning. This includes recognising the importance of providing menstrual hygiene facilities in schools and tackling discriminatory gender norms (including taboos around menstruation) to support girls to stay in education during their periods. We support a range of interventions to support this ambition. The majority of our country-level school and community-level water and sanitation programmes include a strong focus on menstrual hygiene management. More specifically: we support the provision of menstrual hygiene facilities in 5000 schools across 10 countries; in Zimbabwe, our Secondary Education Programme is supporting over 24,000 vulnerable girls to stay in school during their periods by providing them with regular supplies of sanitary pads; and through the Girls’ Education Challenge Fund we support a range of school-based menstrual hygiene projects in 12 countries.

Developing Countries: Sanitary Protection

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support any innovative projects relating to sanitary products in developing countries.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the provision of hand-operated machines that make sanitary pads across (1) India, (2) Nepal, (3) Bangladesh, (4) Afghanistan, (5) South Africa, and (6) Zimbabwe.

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider supporting the provision of machines that are hand operated and make low cost sanitary pads to keep girls and young women at school during their periods in developing countries.

lord bates: Access to affordable sanitary products is a key barrier to women’s full participation in society. The UK is supporting a number of innovative projects to enhance sanitary product access and choice, including a technology transfer initiative with the Indian company Aakar (https://www.aakarinnovations.com/) to enable them to take their women’s enterprise and simple technology model for the local production of quality, low-cost, environmentally-friendly sanitary pads to Kenya and Tanzania. Through funding from the Girls Education Challenge fund, World Vision have been training women’s groups in Zimbabwe to make reusable sanitary pads as part of a wider programme to support 95,000 vulnerable girls to stay in school. We also support menstrual hygiene management more broadly through health, girls’ education and water, sanitation and hygiene programmes across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The UK is committed to enabling all girls and women to manage menstruation safely, hygienically and with dignity, allowing them to stay in school and participate in society during their period. This includes ensuring that schools, workplaces and public places cater for the needs of menstruating women, that they are free from stigma and discrimination and have access to low-cost appropriate sanitary products.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Palace of Westminster: Electricity

lord palmer: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the total annual electricity bill for the Palace of Westminster; and what proportion of that bill is paid by the House of Lords.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The total cost of the electricity bill for the Palace of Westminster for 2016/17 was £1,778,860. The House of Lords contribution to such running costs is 40%, meaning a payment of £711,544 for 2016/17.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Council Housing: Construction

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the levels of capital receipts available for building new council housing in each year since 2010, broken down by local authority.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: (a) Only since 01 April 2012 has a portion of Right to Buy receipts been calculated as being retainable by the local authority if a sufficient level of expenditure on replacement social housing is incurred.(b) Table includes the 167 local housing authorities which on 01 April 2013 owned a substantial amount of housing stock.(c) All figures in the Table are provisional and are subject to change as a result of assurance and reconciliation exercises.(d) All local housing authorities may also, subject to conditions, fund new council housing from: (i) other portions of their Right to Buy receipts which they may retain, (ii) other housing capital receipts, and (iii) capital receipts arising from the disposal of other assets.(e) Where an authority’s portion is indicated as zero, it means that there are no Right to Buy receipts remaining after other costs have been met.The attached table shows the portion of receipts arising from Right to Buy sales received by each local authority in each full financial year since 2012-2013 which is retainable for the purposes of providing replacement social housing.   



Receipts arising from Right to Buy sales
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.7 KB)

EU Grants and Loans

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to replace EU structural funds after Brexit; and, if so, how.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: As announced in the government manifesto, we will create the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which will boost productivity and reduce inequalities between communities across all four nations. We will consult widely on the design of the UKSPF later this year.

Ministry of Defence

HMS Ocean

lord stevens of ludgate: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans they have to fulfil the functions formerly performed by HMS Ocean.

earl howe: The Government can call on the Royal Navy's existing amphibious ships and the Bay Class ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Department for Work and Pensions

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

baroness campbell of surbiton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will remain incorporated into domestic law after Brexit; if so, what steps they will take to ensure this; and if not, why not.

baroness buscombe: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities is not incorporated into domestic law. The Equality Act 2010 (EA2010) provides, in domestic legislation, protections for people in Great Britain against discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of any of the nine protected characteristics set out in the Act – which include disability – as well as the public sector equality duty to promote equality of opportunity for all. Equivalent provisions for Northern Ireland are set out in a range of devolved legislation.

Home Office

Police: Recruitment

lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers have been recruited via the Direct Entry Superintendents Scheme in each year since that scheme was introduced.

baroness williams of trafford: Direct entry offers the opportunity to widen the talent pool from where we attract our police officers and will bring in people from a diverse range of backgrounds. The introduction of direct entry allowed professionals from other sectors to join policing at a senior rank for the first time. These individuals have demonstrated that it is possible to join at this rank and gain the skills and competencies required to perform the job while also bringing a fresh perspective to police leadership.The College of Policing is responsible for delivery of the direct entry scheme and will be publishing an evaluation fo the implementation of direct entry next year.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific measures they will take to address the issues with the Northern Ireland border in the withdrawal negotiations with the EU.

lord callanan: In our position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland, the UK Government set out two broad approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU; a highly streamlined customs arrangement between the UK and the EU, streamlining and simplifying requirements, leaving as few additional requirements on UK-EU trade as possible; and a new customs partnership with the EU, aligning our approach to the customs border in a way that removes the need for a UK-EU customs border. The Joint Report issued by the UK and EU sets out our plan to address Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances and the border in the context of the wider UK-EU deep and special partnership. We want a deal that works for all parts of the UK and we will faithfully deliver on that policy. The Joint Report also addressed the question of a fall-back option to avoid a hard border and disruption to businesses and supply chains both sides of the border if we cannot reach the deep overall agreement that we want. The Government’s agreed proposals for the Northern Ireland border were most recently set out in the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech. One option is for the UK to mirror the EU’s requirements for imports from the rest of the world, applying the same tariffs and the same rules of origin as the EU for those goods arriving in the UK and intended for the EU. This approach, would remove the need for customs processes at the UK-EU border. Another option would be to jointly agree to implement a range of measures to minimise frictions to trade and make specific provisions for Northern Ireland such as exempting smaller traders who would be allowed to continue to operate as they do currently, with no new restrictions. For larger traders, the proposal would be to introduce streamlined processes, including a trusted trader scheme which would be consistent with our commitments. Both of these options for our future customs arrangement would leave the UK free to determine its own tariffs with third countries - which would simply not be possible in a customs union. On goods, a fundamental principle in our negotiating strategy is that trade at the UK-EU border should be as frictionless as possible with no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We believe this can be achieved via a commitment to ensure that the relevant UK regulatory standards remain at least as high as the EU’s and a customs arrangement.

UK Trade with EU

lord kinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Prime Minister on 2 March stating that "our access to each other's markets will be less than it is now", and to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on 24 January 2017 (HC Deb, col 169), when the decision not to secure "comprehensive free trade agreements...and customs agreements" with the EU "that will deliver the exact same benefits as we have" was made.

lord callanan: Negotiating a comprehensive economic partnership with the EU is a priority for the Government as we leave the EU. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. As the Prime Minister reiterated in her Mansion House speech ‘we both want good access to each other’s markets and we want competition between us to be fair and open.’ The agreement we reach with the EU must respect the result of the referendum. It was a vote to take control of our borders, laws and money. We are committed to securing a bold and ambitious economic partnership with the EU that is of greater scope than any such existing agreement.

Brexit

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ascertain the views of each of the EU 27 parliaments on the UK's current position on Brexit.

lord callanan: The Government continues to engage with Member States and our partners in the EU, alongside our formal negotiations with the European Commission. Ministers, senior officials and our diplomatic missions in Europe speak to a wide range of people and groups. Engaging representatives from national European Parliaments is an important element of our work.

Brexit

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the petition handed to 10 Downing Street by Stuart Bonar on 3 February, calling on the Prime Minister to negotiate with the EU for UK nationals to have the right to retain their EU citizenship on an individual basis after Brexit, should they so wish.

lord callanan: EU treaty provisions state that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State. However, we know that in the future, many UK nationals will wish to continue to travel, live and work within the European Union, just as EU citizens will still wish to do so in the UK. We look forward to discussing our future relationship with the European Union, one which will work in the interest of both the UK and the EU.

UK Relations with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Council’s draft guidelines for the negotiation of the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

lord callanan: The European Council guidelines are a draft text that has not been formally published, but has been circulated to the EU27 for comment. We look forward to seeing the final guidelines when published, and hope they will provide the flexibility to allow the EU to think creatively and imaginatively about our future economic partnership. We have repeatedly set out our vision for our future relationship with the EU which will see us remain the closest of friends and allies. The Prime Minister outlined the UK government’s vision for the broadest and deepest possible future economic partnership in her Mansion House speech, having provided detail on our vision for the future security partnership in Munich last month. These are in addition to a speech by the Secretary of State of Exiting the EU and speeches by a number of other cabinet ministers on the ‘road to Brexit’.

EU Institutions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Council’s announcement that the UK will not be allowed to participate in EU institutions, agencies or bodies after Brexit; and, in particular, what assessment they have made ofthe consequences for regulation of (1) medicines, (2) airlines, and (3) data.

lord callanan: Draft EU guidelines for the negotiation of the future framework have been circulated to the EU27 for comment. We expect final guidelines to be formally adopted at the March European Council, and we hope they will provide the flexibility to allow the EU to think creatively about our future economic partnership As the Prime Minister said in her speech in Mansion House on 2 March 2018, we will want to explore with the EU the terms on which we could remain part of EU agencies such as those that are critical for the chemicals, medicines and aerospace industries: the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). As the Prime Minister said in Munich in respect of data protection, we envisage an ongoing role for the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. There are other agencies, such as those related to our future security partnership, that the UK may seek to remain a part of. Where there is a demonstrable national interest in pursuing a continued relationship with an agency or other EU body the Government will carefully examine whether we should pursue this. Our future relationship with the EU's agencies will ultimately be a matter for the negotiations.

Department for International Trade

Foreign Investment in UK

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK remains a competitive destination for foreign firms.

baroness fairhead: As part of The Department for International Trade’s lead role on Foreign Direct Investment, next financial year we will deliver a more targeted approach to promotion and investor support through our FDI Strategy. This will ensure Government support is focused where it is most valued by investors – and in a way that will drive wealth creation across the whole of the UK. To do this we will change our measure of performance from the volume of projects to a comprehensive measure of economic impact.Alongside this, we will build a portfolio of ‘High Potential Opportunities’ across the UK to promote emerging sector clusters, supply chain gaps and other investment opportunities that have a high potential to deliver economic benefits. We will also continue to work closely with Government colleagues to deliver the Industrial Strategy and strengthen the attractiveness of the UK business environment for foreign investment.

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the requirements for gender pay gap reporting could allow employers to submit fabricated information or avoid reporting.

baroness williams of trafford: In 2017 the Government introduced ground-breaking regulations requiring large employers to publish specific gender pay gap data.Employers have to report their gender pay gap by the deadline, 30 March for the public sector and 4 April for the private and voluntary sector. This is not optional; it is the law.Employers who fail to report on time or publish inaccurate data will be in breach of the regulations. They risk facing legal action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has the power to take enforcement action against employers breaching the regulations. This could ultimately lead to court orders and fines.

Government Departments: Equal Pay

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Nash on 18 September 2017 (HL1445), whether all government departments and executive agencies with 250 or more employees have now published information about gender pay gaps between male and female employees.

baroness williams of trafford: Public bodies with 250 or more employees, including Government Departments, have until 30 March to publish this data. All ministerial departments in scope of the regulations in fact reported their gender pay gap data before the end of 2017. Staff working in executive agencies are included in the relevant department’s gender pay gap reports.The majority of non-ministerial departments have also already reported.